A meaningful bicycle ride
By C.B. Sylvester
In March of this year my mother-in-law, Betty Farley was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She was one of the most caring, loving and giving people I have ever known. Two weeks after she was diagnosed, I decided it was time to quit a 30-year smoking habit. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, as I had attempted the same thing many times before.
Contributed photo/The Cryer
BLAINE NATIVE C.B. Sylvester and his wife, Tracy, are shown during the Dempsey Challenge held in Lewiston recently.
The one thing I had going for me was that I had promised Betty, as she laid in the hospital bed, that I would never smoke another cigarette in my life. I will never break that promise that I made to her. Four weeks later, Betty, my mother-in-law, passed away. I began to put on some weight and decided I needed to do something. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be, but I needed to get some exercise. I decided to buy a bike.
The first day I road three miles and it just about killed me, but I didn’t quit. I got back on the bike day after day and rode it three miles and then five miles and before I knew it I couldn’t get enough. After about a month, I was riding about 15-20 miles every other day. I had lost about 30 pounds and was feeling like a new person.
I decided that I wanted to try and help others and inspire others to do the same. After several hours and days of procrastinating, I signed up to do the 50-mile cycle ride in the Dempsey Challenge. Fifty miles was going to be tough, but I knew I could do it and I had Betty watching over me the whole time. It was a goal I was determined to conquer. The support and encouragement I received from my family and friends was absolutely incredible.
How could I honor my family and friends who have had to deal with cancer in one way or another was a question that I had asked myself a few times … wasn’t sure what I could do. Then one night while looking at a very dear friend’s Facebook pics of her trek in the Boston area earlier this year, I saw these ribbons with names on them on the back of her jersey. She had added a ribbon for my mother-in-law, Betty. I knew this is what I wanted to do, so I contacted my friend and asked if I could borrow her idea and she said “of course… go for it.” So I did.
Each ribbon on the back of my jersey with the exception of one, represents a friend or family member who has either lost the battle, survived the battle or is currently fighting the battle of cancer. It was my way of honoring them.
Those who lost their battle with cancer are Betty Farley (my mother-in-law), Becky Philbrick, Andrew Girardin, James Kinney, Nancy Avery, Loretta Baker and Wendell “Skip” Brawn.
Those who won their battle with cancer are Cheryl Monat, Pamela Frenier, Terijo “T.J.” Sylvester and Gregg Fradkin.
Those currently fighting their battle with cancer are Emma Dube and Eve Ladd.
Which leaves one ribbon for Alice Ann Hawkes, a very dear college friend of mine whose life was wrongfully taken 23 years ago, on October 3, 1987 in Westbrook. Her case was re-opened recently and progress is being made. With the advancement of forensic science, we are all very optimistic that one day soon, he will be held accountable for what he did. I took Alice with me for the ride, as I know she would have loved the journey. She did not die from cancer, but she deserved to ride with me on the anniversary of her death. Miss you Alice!
Please check out Alice’s website, I think you’ll find it very interesting: http://www.alicehawkes.com/.
Editor’s Note: C.B. Sylvester grew up in Blaine with his parents, Clair and Joyce Sylvester, who still reside there. He and his sister, Sally Jo Oliver, who now resides in Pembroke, N.H., attended grammar school in Mars Hill and later Central Aroostook High School. He graduated in 1982, attended the University of Southern Maine and now he and his wife Tracy, who is from Presque Isle, reside in Brunswick. He is employed at Hancock Lumber.
